Classic Inca Trail Hike to Machu Picchu 4 Days

Most people will get to Cusco by air. Please remember that the Cusco airport is for domestic travel only. If you come directly from overseas through Lima, you must get your bags in Lima and re-check them for your flight to Cusco. Four airline carriers fly roundtrip between Lima and Cusco. That includes LATAM Airlines, AVIANCA Airlines, Star Peru, and Peruvian Airlines. They all offer similar schedules and in-flight service, but we usually recommend either LATAM airlines or AVIANCA. They tend to be the most helpful when unexpected flight cancellations or delays occur

The Inca Trailto Machu Picchu  has an extraordinary history. The Inca Empire extended into parts of what is now Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia, and the original Trail stretched approximately 25,000 miles throughout these areas. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Trail was used as a key trade route as well as for transportation. However, parts of it were also used for ceremonial purposes and as a pilgrimage route.

Therefore, there are many fascinating theories about the purpose of the connection of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which was built at the height of the Inca Empire. Some researchers believe it served as an annual pilgrimage route to honor Inti, the Incan God of the Sun, who was thought to have been born on the Island of the Sun at Lake Titicaca. It is said that the Trail follows the path of the Sun’s rays during certain times of the year, from Lake Titicaca to Machu Picchu.

The construction of the city of Machu Picchu spanned the reigns of two Inca rulers: Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438–71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472–93). However, a little over a hundred years later, the city lay mysteriously uninhabited. Historians have disputed the reasons for this, with some arguing that invaders killed the city’s population during the Spanish Conquest, and others arguing that the city’s population succumbed to a smallpox epidemic, years before the Spanish arrived.

During and after the Spanish Conquest, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu became targets for plundering and theft. It has been reported that Germans Augusto Berns and J.M. von Hassel initially found Machu Picchu during the 1800s and early 1900s, respectively. However, due to the dense forestation that had started to amass around the abandoned city, Machu Picchu became far less targeted by looters than other easier-to-access sites along the Inca Trail in Peru and in the surrounding areas. The locals may also have kept quiet to save their secret city from the aggressive looting campaigns, so by the 19th century only a few locals and academics were even aware of Machu Picchu’s existence.

In 1911, the American academic and explorer Hiram Bingham re-discovered Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail in Peru and conducted the first official archeological research there. As a seasoned adventurer (due to childhood expeditions with his father) and a keen Latin American history scholar, Bingham spent time traveling the Spanish trade routes throughout South America. As a Yale University history professor, he organized a group of scholars to set out and find the ‘lost city.’

Then, on July 24, 1911, a local guide directed Bingham to the ruins of Machu Picchu. Once there, he and his team started to explore and excavate the area, with return trips in 1912, 1914, and 1915 to continue their work. Through the Yale Archeological Society, the area of Machu Picchu and several surrounding sites were excavated and further academic research was conducted. To this day, the area is still a historical treasure trove, adding much to the Inca Trail experience.

The Inca trail hike is famous because it provides hikers the only way to arrive in Machu Picchu by means of hiking. Upon the re-discovery of Machu Picchu by the American scholar Hiram Bingham, the Inca trail to machu picchu was also brought back to life.

Teams of archaeologists and local peasants explored what remained of this ancient inca trail, finding many Incan complexes and temples along the way that became some of their most beautiful attractions. Machu Picchu was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983, and one of the seven new wonders of the world in 2003, which made it a famous must-see travel destination.

The Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu began receiving more tourists when Peru entered into a phase of pacification in coming out of a kind of civil war that bled the country from the early ’80s up until the mid-’90s. By the end of the last century, thousands of people flocked to this beautiful destination to arrive in the Sungate of Machu Picchu at sunrise. Only the people who hike the trail to machu piccu can experience such an event.

Just like every other outdoor activity, hiking involves a dose of risk-taking. However, the Machu Picchu hike is not dangerous at all.

There are no places where one’s safety might be compromised. In any case, the best way to minimize any danger level is by acting proactively and taking the necessary measures to prevent any such situations. For instance, proper acclimatization will prevent you from getting altitude sickness, which is the number one reason why people fall ill. ​

Taking a trip to any historical landmark in the world of the caliber of Machu Picchu demands preparation about the background of such attractions. Here is a list of a few books and videos that you should consider reading before your Machu Picchu trip:

• Turn right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
• The last days of the Inca by Kim McQuarry
• 1491 by Charles C. Mann
• A Brief History of Peru by Bill Harris and Christine Hunefeldt

A few videos you can watch:

• Guns, Germs and Steel
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God
• The Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire

The best way to ensure that one will hike the Inca trail successfully is by arriving in Cusco at least three days ahead of your departure time. These three days will give you the necessary time to acclimatize while you get to visit some of the beautiful attractions that you can visit in Cusco.

Arriving in Cusco by plane. Most people fly into Cusco, coming directly from Lima after their international flights. Lima holds the most important international airport in Peru, and almost all international flights must land there before people connect to their final domestic destinations. Cusco's airport is the second busiest airport in Peru; most flights arrive from Lima while some others do it from cities like Arequipa, Juliaca, Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado, and Trujillo. As far as international flights, Cusco's airport receives flights coming from Bogota, Colombia, Santiago de Chile, and La Paz, Bolivia. The most important and safest Peruvian airlines are Lan Peru and Avianca. Other budget airlines are SkyPeru, Peruvian Airlines, and Gol Peru.

Arriving in Cusco by bus and train (overland). There are plenty of comfortable bus companies servicing Lima and Cusco on a daily basis. The bus ride usually takes up to twenty hours of driving. Traveling to Cusco from Lima by bus is not advisable. Most people who do arrive in Cusco by means of bus do it after following an itinerary that allows them to visit a few other interesting tourist attractions along the way. Places like Paracas Marine National Reserve or Poor Man's Galapagos, the Huacachina Oasis in Ica, and the Nazca Lines are some of the must-see attractions one can visit on the way to Cusco. There are a few hop-on/ hop-off tour operators that allow you to visit those places by purchasing one full ticket between Lima and Cusco. Also, plenty of night buses run from Arequipa (the second-largest city in Peru) to Cusco. Arequipa is a beautiful colonial city where one can visit the Colca Canyon and see the flight of the condors. Also, many people choose to climb the Misti and Chachani volcanoes in this area.

​As far as trains, Cusco connects with Puno, from where Peru rail runs a few different tourist trains. ​

​​THINGS TO DO IN CUSCO BEFORE THE INCA TRAIL  HIKE

​Cusco is the most beautiful city in Peru and one of the most beautiful cities in South America. It is a place that deserves time in its own right to be explored and enjoyed. As I mentioned above, one of the most important reasons to arrive in Cusco a few days ahead of your Inca trail tour is to accelerate the process of acclimatization to the altitude. To do this smoothly and perfectly, then we recommend the following things to do:

Day One. Go for a walk of your own or take a walking city tour of Cusco. This is a great way to experience Cusco upon arriving. In these tours, you will see some of Cusco's most impressive attractions, such as the Main Square or Plaza de Armas, the San Blas neighborhood, and the San Pedro central market. These walking city tours usually take up to 3 hours. Make sure you book for an afternoon city tour to give your body some time to first adapt to the altitude.

Day Two. Take the Rainbow Mountain tour or the Humantay Lake tour. Climb high, sleep low is one of the best practices that hikers perform when hiking at high altitudes. One of the ways people can quickly adapt to the altitude is by climbing either the Humantay Lake or the Rainbow Mountains. By doing so, one actually gets to do what is mentioned above as people will climb to altitudes above 13,000 ft and return to Cusco's altitude of 10,500ft in the afternoons.

Day Three. Take it easy, or take the magnificent Sacred Valley tour. We recommend that you make your hotel reservations for this night in places like Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. You can check with your inca trail tour operator and ask them to pick you from either of these locations the following day. If you stay at either of these locations, you will save yourself the two-hour drive back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo after completing the Sacred Valley tour and the two hours from Cusco to Ollantaytambo on the day of the tour. Additionally, this decision will give you two more hours of sleep on the day of the hike as you won't have to get up at four in the morning to be transported to the start of the Inca trail hike to  Machu Picchu.

After you have experienced some of what Cusco offers, it’s time to turn our attention to the Classic Inca Trail tour. To hike this route to Machu Picchu, you are required by the government of Peru to hire a licensed guide service or tour company with the required permits to take trekkers on the journey.

The company you choose will often arrange road transportation from Cusco to the start of the inca trail trek, with pickups that generally occur early in the day (around 4:00 AM local time). The most popular place to start the hike is known as Kilometer 82, which is the start of the Classic Inca Trail route. Once you reach this location, you will generally conduct a gear check, fill up your water containers, and make sure everyone is fully prepared to start the journey.

The network of Inca trails, known in the Quechua language as ‘qhapac’ (main road or path of the powerful), is an immense connection of Inca trails built for the most part by Emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century.
These roads linked the main cities of the empire with Cusco, the capital of the empire. The Inca himself was led from the ‘sacred city’ to the various points of the empire through the qhapac ñan.
The network of Inca roads covered part of the territories of the current countries of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Argentina. Due to their historical importance, they are currently considered ‘Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ by Unesco. Because of this they are protected and preserved for the future.

What was the importance of the Inca Trails?
The Qhapaq ñan is the word that defines the road system of the Inca civilization. It is the best proof of the development reached by the Incas in civil engineering. It is worth mentioning that this network of roads was built on one of the most rugged territories in the world. He managed to cross the rugged Andes Mountains and the arid deserts of the South American coast.
This network of Inca roads crossed the empire of the Incas by routes drawn from north to south (from end to end) along the coast and through the Andes Mountains. There were small sections for the common population. There were also wide sections dedicated to Inca royalty. The Inca roads of the sierra had sections completely paved while those of the coast were built simply of earth.
The world famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is just one part of this complex network of roads. Go up the Urubamba river basin to the Inca city, after winding difficult mountains. At present it is considered the best hiking route in Peru. You can visit it in four days through a perfectly planned tour.
The roads of the Incas were built with the main purpose of keeping a huge territory communicated. This made it possible to mobilize armies very quickly. It also served as a trade route in a civilization prone to redistribution and exchange. Another extremely important purpose was the culturalization of the newly conquered peoples. It should be noted that these roads were built in the expansionist time of the Incas.

What is the length of the Inca trails?
At present, more than 60 thousand kilometers of roads that formed this enormous network have been identified. But studies carried out reveal that the Qhapaq ñan would be made up of more than double that identified throughout the South American territory.

What was its function?
The route of the Inca Trails , in addition to connecting one town with another, served to connect the culture of the peoples of the time. Likewise, its function was that of a trade route and strategic routes of cultural connection between the different towns of the immense Inca empire. This is how Inca cities were integrated such as: Vilcashuaman, Pumpu, Hatun Xauxa, Huánuco Pampa, Cajamarca, Quito, etc.
The Qhapaq ñan shows many sections in which there are two parallel roads in a trunk route. It is known that the Inca, his court and his armies would go through one of them, while the other was destined for the people.
Likewise, this road network had a commercial function as it supplied different cities with products that were harvested at different altitudes. For example, the city of Cusco was able to supply itself with: chili, cotton, coca, corn, fish, mullu and even the famous spondylus shell.

How is it designed?
The Inca trails are designed in response to the coastal and mountain geography. There are stretches in immense arid plains up to the most rugged mountains of the Andes mountain range. There are also countless slopes, cliffs, mountains, pampas, swamps, gorges, and canyons. In many cases, the most difficult sections were solved with bridges and uneven roads.

Main Inca trails
The Inca Trails were made up of several longitudinal and transversal sections. However, the longest and most important sections were two: the longitudinal route that crossed the Andes Mountains and the longitudinal route that crossed the desert coast:
The coastal roads: As its name indicates, this longitudinal route ran along the coastline of the empire, from the south of Ecuador to the north of Chile. The roads reached 3,943 kilometers. It is calculated that the minimum width measured 3.5 meters while the maximum width reached 20 meters. It crossed up to 52 Cusco valleys including important religious centers such as Tambo Inga, Armatambo and Pachacamac. The Inca Huayna Cápac had these roads built after conquering Quito (Ecuador) in the 15th century.

The roads of the mountains: This road was initially built by Emperor Pachacutec and finished by his successors Túpac Inca Yupanqui and Huayna Cápac. This route connects the current cities of Quito (Ecuador) with Santiago (Chile), crossing the difficult geography of the Andes Mountains. In total it has an area of ​​5,658 kilometers. Due to the mountainous slopes, this road was built with stone pavers, bridges, as well as administrative centers, tambos (rest centers for walkers) and colcas (food centers for walkers). The narrowest sections were 3 meters wide. The widest sections, eighteen meters.

Constructions along the roads
The difficult South American geography and the immense distances that the Inca roads traveled forced the Incas to build certain structures necessary for the proper functioning of the roads.

The bridges: There were several bridges that allowed crossing rivers or spaces with abysses. These bridges could be woven of straw (the icchu or wild straw of the Andes) and were characterized by being hanging. And there were other bridges that were built of tree trunks, supported by abutments of huge stone blocks. Also noteworthy are the ‘oroyas’, wooden rafts that were used to flow through the lakes. Currently the Queswachaka bridge in Cusco is an example of the tradition of the Andean peoples in the construction and maintenance of Inca bridges.
The tambos: These constructions had the function of shelters and deposits of food, wool, firewood, clothes. These products were stored both for people who traveled and for emergencies. It is estimated that on the main roads there were dairy farms every 20 or 30 kilometers. These housed the “chasquis” or emissaries who were young runners who went from tambo to tambo carrying the Inca’s messages through a relay system. Through this system it is said that a message could reach from Cusco to Ecuador in 10 days (approximately 2,000 kilometers).

The Inca Trails to Machu Picchu
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is the small network of roads that connects the towns of Cusco with the Inca city of Machu Picchu. With the discovery of this archaeological site in 1911, part of this section of the Qhapac ñan was unearthed. Since then these trails have been valued.
Due to its location on the slopes of mountain ranges, this section of the Inca Trail was built following the characteristics of the mountain roads. The Incas first made the layout of the road, then the foundation of the soil with several layers of stone and earth. Next the paving and the drainage system were made. Due to their complex construction, these trails are kept in good condition.
This section of the Inca Trail was not discovered by the Spanish. It is also believed that they did not give it the necessary importance. In any case, the Spanish did not reach Machu Picchu, which, after being abandoned, was hidden in the thick vegetation over the years. The section from qhapac ñan to the Inca city also suffered the same fate.

The Inca Trail today
Currently, the section of qhapac ñan that connects Cusco with Machu Picchu was valued and adapted to be traveled by tourists. It is a route of almost 40 kilometers that is crossed in 3 days and 3 nights. The fourth day is dedicated to visiting Machu Picchu.
Unlike other hiking trails in Cusco, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is protected by the Peruvian State. This is due to the historical value of the sections of qhapac ñan that it runs through. Therefore, no unauthorized person can walk its ways.
The only way to get this authorization and travel the Inca Trail is to hire a tour through an authorized tourism agency. Tourism agencies manage permits with the Ministry of Culture of Peru and add a tour guide service, camping equipment, food, tickets to Machu Picchu and more services for the visitor.

Currently there are many tourists who want to make the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Due to the high demand of visitors, tours must be purchased online 6 or 7 months in advance. It is the best hiking trail in Peru.